Moving Forward
by Knightwolf
Summary: One year has passed since Motoko and Keitaro have gotten together. Final chapter now up!
1. anniversary plans and nervous thoughts

**Moving Forward**

December 1st had come and Motoko had reached her Seventeenth Birthday. To celebrate, Keitaro took her out to a candle lit dinner at the finest restaurant in Tokyo. Sure it was a little expensive, but Keitaro didn't mind. He just wanted to show her how special she was to him. The two were able to sneak out of the apartments under the excuses of 'Kendo practice at a Tokyo dojo' and 'studying late for an exam at the Tokyo Library'.

The two agreed that the meal was incredible. After the waiter came and cleared the empty plates from the table, Keitaro reached down into his pant pocket. He pulled out a small box, covered with gold wrapping paper and tied with a red bow. "Motoko, I have something very special for you." He said, holding it out to her over the table between the two candles. "For me?" she said, taking it from his hand, to which he gave a quick smile and nod. She removed the top of the box to reveal a silver-chain wristwatch with a sapphire face. The polished silver gleamed in the candlelight and she could see her smiling face reflecting back at her in the sapphire.

"Oh, Keitaro. It's beautiful. How did you know that this was exactly the one I wanted?"

"Well, every time we walked by it in the jewelry store window, I always noticed it catch your eye. So I decided to get it for you. Go ahead, try it on."

Motoko removed the watch from its case and fastened it around her wrist. Holding it out in front of her, she admired the shine of the silver in the soft light.

"So do you like it?" Keitaro asked, holding out his hand.

"Keitaro, I love it. Thank you so much." Motoko said, folding her fingers with his.

"Happy Birthday, Motoko." He then said, cheerfully.

After dinner, the couple decided to take a walk together along the water of Tokyo bay. The full moon shown brightly overhead, reflecting beautifully off the placid water. It was a cold night. Hand in hand, Keitaro and Motoko walked slowly down the docks making trivial, but loving, conversation. A cold gust of wind suddenly blew from the north, causing Motoko to shiver and move her coat up around her neck. Noticing this, Keitaro removed his scarf and gently wrapped it around her exposed neck.

"There. Better?" Keitaro said, moving her silky black hair out from under the soft cotton scarf.

Blushing slightly, she said, "Yes. Thank you very much."

Motoko looked up into the sky and saw the moon shining. A pleasant smile came across her features.

"Keitaro?"

"Yes, Motoko?"

"The moon looks so incredible tonight. Doesn't it remind you of a very special time?" she asked, giving his hand a light squeeze and gently massaging it with her thumb.

Keitaro looked into her eyes with a curious expression and then turned his eyes up to the moon. A smile of sweet nostalgia came over him as he remembered exactly what she was talking about.

"How could I forget, Motoko? That incredible kiss that we shared on the balcony under this very same moon." He said, looking back at her. He then lifted his hand and caressed the soft skin of her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "You still look so beautiful in the moonlight, just like an angel." He said, noticing how her smooth, fair skin seemed to glow in the soft blue light. Placing her hand over his, she moved it over her lips, giving it a soft kiss.

Keitaro then took the initiative and slowly moved in. However, he then tripped on a wooden board that stuck out slightly above the rest. Losing his footing and balance, he fell into Motoko. With an "Ah!" and a "Ow!" she landed on her back with Keitaro laying on top of her.

"Oww, that hurt." She whined from beneath him.

"I-I'm really sorry, Motoko! A-Are you okay?" Keitaro said, getting ready to move off of her.

Their faces an inch apart, she looked into his eyes. Keitaro then felt two arms wrap around his waist, gently holding him down. Giving a light laugh she said, "You're still such a klutz, Keitaro." Then, slowly, she moved her head up, giving him a deep kiss, which he eased into instantly. As they continued to kiss, laying there on the dock, Motoko felt something very strange against her pelvis.

'What is that, pressing up against me? It feels hard and seems to be growing bigger.' She thought.

Then it suddenly occurred to her what it was. Quickly breaking the kiss, she pushed him off of her and sat up, breathing heavily. Her face was beet red. Keitaro, realizing what had happened, became extremely embarrassed. Sitting up as well, Keitaro started to blush profusely. "I'm so sorry, Motoko. I didn't mean…for that to happen, honest." Motoko looked over at Keitaro with an embarrassed look and then turned her eyes back to the docks.

"I-It's just that…I've never been in that position before." She said as her face was still glowing a bright red. There was a quick silence. Sensing the awkwardness, Motoko moved her coat sleeve back from her wrist, exposing her new watch. "Um, it's getting kind of late. Maybe we should head back to Hinata." She said, standing up. "Oh, okay." He said, standing up as well. He turned towards the dock gates with thoughts of worry heavy on his mind of how he screwed up the perfect moment, big time.

Motoko then straightened her sword inside her coat, which hung at her side always. Seeing this out of the corner of his eye, Keitaro stood tense and stiff, as if his body was subconsciously readying itself to receive punishment via kendo blade. Noticing how nervous he had become, Motoko buttoned up her coat and walked up behind him. Moving her arms around his chest, she moved her mouth to his ear.

"Don't worry about it, Keitaro. I don't mind. It just…surprised me, that's all."

Her soothing words caused his body to relax as he let out a sigh of relief. Motoko quickly walked around from behind him, grabbed his hand and showed him a bright smile. "Come on, Keitaro. Let's get going." Matching her smile, Keitaro quickly walked with her and said, "Sure, lets go." The two lovers ran down the docks toward the exit gates, truly happy.

After taking the long train ride back to Hinata, Keitaro and Motoko walked home until they came to the steps leading up to the apartments. After a pause, they turned to each other.

"Keitaro, thank you so much for tonight. You've given me the best Birthday I've ever had. So much better than celebrating it in a Dojo."

"I'm so glad, Motoko. I'm also glad that we've become this close."

"Me too, Keitaro."

"Well, we'd better head back up to the apartments before they start to worry about us." Keitaro said, starting to lead her to the steps.

"Hold on, Keitaro. Let's take advantage of this situation while we're still out of the other's view." Motoko said, taking his wrist and stopping him. "Huh? What do you mean?" He said. Without saying a thing, she slowly pulled him to her, as the look on her face spoke volumes to him. "Oh, I see." He said with a smile, as he turned his lips to hers. They both shared a long, passionate kiss under the soft moonlight. The visible breath from their noses was gently carried away by the constant, light wind. The steamy breath rose into the moonlit sky, which was clear of any clouds for as far as the eye could see.

That Christmas, Keitaro and Motoko decided to come clean and announce to everyone their relationship. Much to their surprise, however, the reactions they had received were much tamer than they had anticipated. Among all the residents of Hinata that stood around them, Kitsune pretty much summed up everyone's thoughts by saying, "Oh, come on, sugah! We've known that for a while. We've just been waitin' for y'all to come out and say it."

Standing behind Kitsune was Naru. Having respectfully kept quiet about the lover's relationship since she first learned of it, Naru let out a giggle in light of the hilarity of the situation: the three of them couldn't keep it a secret after all. "We've seen the way you two have been looking at each other. And the times when you both seem to disappear at same time? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to put 2 and 2 together, you know." Kitsune said, with a teasing smile. Haruka showed an agreeable smile to Keitaro, letting him know that she had known about it since that day they had talked on the lobby couch.

Kaolla and Sara jumped on top of Keitaro and started teasing him. Jumping on his shoulder and hitting him in the head, Sara said, "Of course we knew about it, you super-dork!" Kaolla wrapped her legs around Keitaro's neck and with a big smile started banging on his head, saying, "Especially since we've caught sight of you two kissing in the back courtyard, now and again."

"Yeah, you two were out there all summer long." Sara said. Then the two jumped off, leaving Keitaro dizzy, swaying side to side.

Motoko, who was blushing as deeply as Keitaro, said, "What? You mean…you've all known about us this entire time?" Kitsune cracked a mischievious smile. "Well, not the whole time, sweetie. But let me tell ya, we did have our suspicions towards the beginnin'." The two lovers then looked at each other with a clumsy, embarrassed smile. Then that smile converted into a pleasant one. In front of everyone, they slowly put their arms around each other and shared a long, passionate kiss. Shinobu, her eyes big and shiny with shock, said, "S-S-Sempai is k-kissing an adult kiss?" Naru just folded her arms and shook her head with a smile. Haruka, shaking her head with her, said, "Now that's a sight I'm gonna have to get used to."

"Woo-Hoo! Keitaro go! Yea, Motoko!" Kaolla yelled, cheering them on and poking at Keitaro's side. "Easy there, champ. It's not like you're digging an excavation with your tongue, you moron!" Sara teased. "Alright everyone, lets celebrate!" Kitsune said, pulling out an unusually large bottle of Sake from nowhere. Kaolla and Sara continued to poke at them and tease. The two lovers simply ignored all of them and escaped into their own world. Not after long, the two gently broke the kiss and joined everyone else in a toast to one of the most memorable Christmases to grace the Hinata apartments. From that day on, Motoko and Keitaro had no reservations on openly showing their love for each other, nor did anyone else have contempt for it. One day went into the next, forming weeks and then months.

Now, the cherry blossoms are flying through the air once more as the warm sea breeze has returned to the area. For the month of May has come yet again to the Hinata Apartments. As a result, its inhabitants are a year older and a whole year wiser since the last time it came around. Sitting on the railing of the balcony where the freshly hung laundry dries slowly in the spring breeze, we find Sara and Kaolla idly watching something of interest below in the back courtyard.

Sara, with a smug look on her face said, "Jeez, how long can those two stay at it? One of 'em's gotta come up for air sooner or later."

"I am not sure. Maybe when you kiss like that, you don't need to breathe." Kaolla said, while leaning forward in an attempt to get a clearer look.

They were obviously referring to a certain glasses wearing and sword wielding pair, sitting together down below, on the fine-carved wooden bench of the back courtyard. Motoko and Keitaro had been doing much of this since the outside air had become seasonably warm. They would just sit there together and (for lack of a better word that would come to mind) make-out for almost an hour at a time. At the same time, they would enjoy the spring breeze. Well, maybe. You ask me, I don't think they would notice if bombs were dropping around them.

They had retreated into their own world like they often do, a place where they love to be, more than anywhere else. For it is a peaceful, magical place where it's just the two of them surrounded by whatever they can imagine. Above, Sara nudged Kaolla with her right elbow. "Hey, watch this." Sara picked up a can and threw it straight for Keitaro's head. Sensing this immediately, Motoko sprung to life. Leaving Keitaro's lips and leaping high into the air, she unsheathed her sword and swiped the metal can once. Motoko touching down lightly on the ground, the can landed next to her. Suddenly, the can broke apart into 25 evenly cut pieces as she slid her sword back into its sheath.

"Darn it! Can't have any fun no more." Sara pouted with the snap of her fingers. Keitaro, very confused, said,

"Um, what just happened?"

"Oh, nothing. Just showing a certain blonde-haired archeologist's daughter that she shouldn't interrupt." Motoko said, sitting back down next to Keitaro.

"Oh, I see. She's been doing that a lot lately, huh?" Keitaro said, turning his eyes up to the balcony. Sara quickly ducked her head out of view, whereas Kaolla simply smiled and waved at him saying, "Hello, Keitaro!"

"Heh heh, those two." He lightly laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

Motoko then moved close to him again. "Now, where were we?" She said, as their noses slowly moved past each other. "I think right about here." He said, before continuing where they had left off. Above, Naru walked up the steps onto the balcony to collect the laundry. Setting the basket in her hands down next to her, she turned her head to see the blond-haired pair still looking over the railing. "I bet she can't save him twice." Sara said, picking up another can.

"Sara, Su. What are you two doing up here?" Naru asked curiously. The two quickly turned to

Naru in surprise. Hiding the can behind her, Sara said, "Oh, hello Naru. I didn't see you there."

"You know, Shinobu almost has lunch ready. You two should hurry and wash up." Naru said, taking down the clothes one by one.

"Right, gotcha." Sara said as she made her way for the stairs. Kaolla cheerfully followed behind her yelling, "Woohooo! Foooooood, yeaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" as she extended out her arms, imitating an airplane. After the blonde duo disappeared down the steps, Naru turned her head to where they were standing. "Hmmm." Without a second of hesitation she ran over to the railing and called out as loud as she could, "Okay you two lovebirds, time to breathe again because its lunchtime! You don't want to make Shinobu upset by being late again!"

Suddenly being pulled back to reality, they broke the kiss and realized what time it was. "Right, thanks Naru!" Keitaro called back. Naru turned back to her laundry and thought to herself, 'Honestly, those two should go and get a room…' her thoughts paused for a second. 'Uh, then again, maybe not.' She then thought after a slightly graphic scene entered her mind. Shaking her head and clearing her head, she went back to taking down the laundry.

Motoko and Keitaro got up from their seat. Motoko straightened her robe to look presentable for the lunch table, as did Keitaro, fixing his hair by brushing his fingers through it. Seeing the result of Keitaro's self-styling technique, she said, "It's still not working for you, Keitaro. Here, let me fix it for you." Using her fingers, she straightened his hair and parted it down the middle. "There. You know, I think I like the way that looks." She said with a satisfied smile. "Thanks, Motoko." He said, returning the smile. "Come on," Keitaro said, taking Motoko's hand and leading her back inside. "Naru's right. We don't want to upset Shinobu again."

Walking along side him, she said, "Yes, I agree. I wonder what she making for us today?"

"I think she mentioned making spring rolls and Somen." He said, almost sounding excited.

"Oh, that sounds perfect for such a hot day like today." She said, feeling the very warm wind against her skin.

"Yeah, I don't think I remember it being this warm last May. But just watch, with my luck it'll cool right back down tomorrow. Heh heh"

The two walked down the halls, heading toward the dining room. Even though Keitaro's mouth spoke trivial things to continue the conversation, his mind was thinking something much different and more serious. 'What am I going to do? Our anniversary is in two days and I still don't know how I'm going to ask her the question. I'm starting to feel nervous just thinking about it.' Motoko started to notice how distant Keitaro had become as they walked further down the hall.

"Keitaro, are you okay? You seem a bit withdrawn." She asked, looking over his expression.

"Huh? Me? Oh, I'm fine. Just can't wait to taste Shinobu's great cooking, hehehe." He laughed clumsily.

"Oh, alright." She said, becoming a little suspicious, but then setting it to the back of her mind.

Keitaro's thoughts continued, as they entered the dining room and even as they sat down next to one another. 'How am I going to make this work? Should I just take her to that restaurant we went to for her birthday and do it there? No! This is important! It has to be special. Maybe I could take her to Kyoto or Osaka. It's so hard to decide. What'll I do?'

Author's notes: To be continued soon. So what do you think so far? I know this has a slightly different feel from my usual writing. I thought I'd try something new by adding a little more comedy. Anyway, this is a continuation on my Motoko/Keitaro Saga, which consists of the two previous stories I wrote, 'Compassionate Swordplay' and 'Love's Sharp Blade'. Rights to Love Hina are owned by Ken Akamatsu, Xebec, and Bandai. So anyway, as of today this is definitely not going to be the last story I write in the series. Yes, the ideas are bubbling to the surface as we speak. Look forward to more and enjoy for now.

And in case anyone was wondering: Somen is a dish consisting of very fine wheat noodles served immersed in cold water with ice cubes and accompanied by sauces and relishes. Perfect for a hot spring or summer day.


	2. good fun and bad dreams

**Moving Forward**

Chap. 2

The bright yellow beams of morning sunlight filtered through the newborn leaves of spring and cast its light into the room of one Keitaro Urashima. Slowly, the beams moved down along his wall and finally onto his face. This is an occurrence, which would normally awaken any other inhabitant of the apartments, but apparently not Keitaro. Then, as if nature had grown impatient, a gust of wind blew in through the open window and rustled his hair. With a groan and a tired sigh, Keitaro simply rolled over and pulled the covers over his head. Then, as if ordained by the powers that be, a beam of energy suddenly shot up through the floor where he lay, instantly waking him as he hurtled up through the hole in his ceiling.

Shaking the dizziness from his head, his eyes started to focus on several pink shapes. A pink triangle that pointed down and above it were two pink orbs. Finding his glasses and putting them on, Keitaro discovered that it was actually Naru in pink lingerie with a very angry look on her face. Realizing this, the only words he could get out were "Um, sorry Naru", before Naru drop-kicked him back down through the hole yelling "Get down there!"

Landing on his back with a THUD next to the new hole that was created in his floor, he slowly sat up to see Kaolla Su, peaking her head out of the hole next to him. "Su? What's going on?" Keitaro asked, holding his head as it still ached from the bombardment of unknown energy. "Hello, Keitaro. I am very sorry, but I was just testing my new invention. Mr. Plasma Energy Beam Cannon, Version 3.5. Now packing four times the punch!" She cheerfully said.

"Yeah, I kinda felt that 'punch'. Anyway, Su, could you please test your gadgets away from where there are living human beings? " He said as he looked himself over for any other injuries.

"Okay, then. I'll just go to downtown Hinata. That should be better." She said, dropping back down out of sight.

"That's not better, that's worse!!" He yelled, but alas she was already gone.

'Uuuhhh, what am I gonna do with her?' He thought. The last tinges of sleepiness were gone from his body and he realized that there were no hopes of getting back to sleep now. 'Oh, yeah. I have to get up early anyway. It's already 8am.' The thought struck him, looking over at his clock. 'Yeah, I have to finalize the reservations by 9am with the Shimabara Hotel in Kyoto. I got a great deal on a two night stay, all I need to do is call them back to confirm.'

Keitaro quickly pulled on a long sleeve shirt and sweat pants, ran down to the lobby and used the phone there. After he finished talking to the people at the hotel, Haruka passed by him carrying several tea mixes in her hands. As he placed the receiver back on the stand, Haruka gave him a curious look and asked, "So who was that, Keitaro?"

"What? Oh, good morning, Haruka. That was just the Shimabara Hotel in Kyoto. I'm planning to take Motoko to see Kyoto for our anniversary. Don't tell her, though. It's a surprise."

"Sure, no problem. Just be careful while you're there. All the things you see in the street markets are grossly overpriced. However, visits to the ancient temples are free. There are over 2,000 of them, so you shouldn't get bored in terms of sightseeing."

"Wow, thanks Haruka. I didn't know you spent so much time there?"

"Yeah, I…went there a lot when I was younger."

"Oh, really? Who'd you go with?" Keitaro asked.

Haruka's cheeks gained a slight blush. She then looked at her watch.

"Well, I gotta go. Time to open up the Tea House. Later, Keitaro." She said quickly as she hurried off.

'Was it…something I said?' Keitaro then shrugged it off and went back to what he was doing.

Keitaro ran back up the stairs and into his room. 'Now would probably be the perfect time. Motoko is always an early riser. Right about now she would be coming back from her self-training in the back courtyard.' He thought, straightening his hair as it still had a touch of bed-head to it. Opening his dresser drawer, he paused a second to see two train tickets to Kyoto. Sitting next to them was a small blue velvet covered box. 'This has got to be perfect. It will be perfect.' He thought as his eyes remained fixed on the box.

"Morning, Keitaro." Motoko's voice came from behind him. Keitaro turned to see Motoko standing in his doorway, still in her morning robe.

"Oh, m-morning, Motoko. Didn't you get to train this morning?" He said, noticing the robe.

"Actually, I woke up a little late today. I was wondering if we could train together, seeing as you're awake too."

"Sure, that'd be great." He said, finding his training sword next to the dresser.

Then, Motoko barely saw the contents of the drawer to make out a small box and two strips of paper. "Say, Keitaro. What's that inside the drawer?" Suddenly, realizing he had left the drawer open, Keitaro grabbed the Tickets and quickly shut the drawer in attempt to hide the box from her view. "Oh, these? I actually wanted to surprise you, but I guess now is as good a time as any. As of tomorrow we will have been together for a whole year and I want to make it very special. How would you like to take a trip to Kyoto for our anniversary?" He asked, handing her the tickets. "Keitaro, you really mean it? Yes, I'd love to." She said with a bright smile, as she walked up to him and gave him a loving kiss before hugging him with all her might. Keitaro gratefully did the same as he held her so close.

"I could only afford a two night stay, so I hope you don't mind." He said with a slight hint of sadness. "Two nights is more than enough. As long as we spend it together, it doesn't matter." She said, pulling back and looking him in the eyes.

"I'm so glad." He said, taking both of her hands and holding them tenderly. Then his eyes turned back to the dresser drawer. 'I just pray you'll say 'yes' to my other question as well, Motoko.' He thought, turning his eyes back to hers, those beautiful brown eyes that he has come to love. If he wasn't careful he could become lost in those powerful yet mysterious eyes of hers. Serene pools that emanated love and kindness, yet at times they can push forth the discipline and fierce fury of a thousand warriors past. It was too late. He's already become lost in those mild, earth-colored irises of hers once more. He moved forward to partake of her soft lips again, which she lovingly welcomed him with.

The morning of the trip had come. Motoko and Keitaro stood at the train station. Together, they had spent all of the night before, figuring the best places to visit during their stay in Kyoto. Within minutes the train had arrived at the platform and as their luggage was being loaded, they found their seats. Motoko has always loved the window seat. Keitaro knew this when he set up the tickets. He wanted to make this trip as enjoyable as possible for her. The train started moving and before they knew it they were on their way.

After about fifteen minutes, Motoko gave Keitaro's shirt-sleeve a tug and said,

"Look, Keitaro. It's Mount Fuji." as she pointed out the window to the momentous landmark in the distance.

"Oh, yeah. Wow, I never get tired of looking at it. It's size alone is awesome. You know, I'd bet it would take days to climb to the top." Keitaro said, moving closer to the window.

"Actually it only took me a day." She said.

"What? You've climbed it?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah, my whole eighth grade class at the Divinity School of Swordsmanship climbed Mount Fuji to refine much of our training." She said, turning to him with a smile.

"Wow and you went right to the top in one day, huh?"

"Yes. In fact, I had the honor of placing our flag there in the snow. I think it should still be up there." she said looking back to the mountain.

Motoko continued to watch the lands flowing with green grasses and touches of yellow grains here and there as they quickly moved by. Before he knew it, Keitaro was getting drowsy. Slowly, he began to fall asleep.

Strange visions passed through his dreams, almost in flashes. Scenes of Kyoto, hot, as if in late summer. Visions of an old woman, whom he has never met before, screaming in terror. A vision of him wielding his sword against a foe that he cannot make out through the dark haze. He then saw Motoko with tears pouring down her face, as if suffering some great loss.

'Motoko?' He called out in his dream, reaching out his hand for her. 'Motoko, what's wrong. Motoko? Motoko?' She began to move away from him. No matter how fast he ran, she still remained just out of his reach.

"Motoko!" Keitaro called out, waking from his dream. Motoko, startled, gently held him by the shoulders and said, "Keitaro, what is it? I'm right here. What's wrong?" Keitaro looked over at her with a look of great relief as he realized it was just a dream. "Oh, Motoko. I had such a horrible dream. I saw you crying and no matter how fast I ran, I just couldn't reach you." He said, placing his hand to his forehead. "It was just a bad dream, Keitaro. Don't worry. It didn't happen." She said, taking her hand and gently moving his face in her direction. "Yeah, but…it was so real." He said, as his eyes fell, the feeling of the dream still disturbing him. Motoko then took his hand and held it in both of hers. "Keitaro, listen to me. I will always be within your reach when you need me. Do you hear me? Always." Keitaro looked at her hands and then looked back up at her with a tender smile. "Thank you, Motoko. I needed that." He said, taking her hand and kissing it.

Raising her hand, she slowly ran it down the side of his face as she smiled. "Now, come on. We only have a couple minutes until we arrive." She said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. Looking out the windows, he saw that was true.

"Wow, how long was I out?" he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"About an hour and a half. You looked so cute sleeping that I didn't want to disturb you." She said, teasingly.

The train came to a stop at Kyoto station. Keitaro and Motoko stepped onto the platform and looked around. Their luggage arrived next to them shortly. Collecting their belongings, they exited the station and gazed upon the city that lay before them. "So, Keitaro. Where's our hotel?" Motoko asked, looking up and down the street. Keitaro pulled out a folded map from his back pocket. Opening it up and looking at it, he said, "Well, according to this map, we head down the road directly in front of the station, make a right at this road here, then a left on this road and it should be on the right-hand side." Motoko looked over the map with him. "Oh, I see. That shouldn't be too hard." She said. "Well, we'd best get a move on. It's already 11am." Keitaro said, taking her hand and leading her down the road. Motoko was impressed with his assertiveness. She usually doesn't allow herself to be led, seeing as she is usually the one doing the leading in her life. But in this case, she made an exception.

The two took their time walking down the streets of Kyoto, taking advantage of its many shops and tourist spots. Eventually, they got to the hotel and signed in. Dropping all of their suitcases off in their room, they went out again to do some more sight seeing. From one end of Kyoto to the other, they spent the whole day into the early evening checking out the cool spots of Kyoto. Even though Motoko had trained there for most of her young life and had already seen most of Kyoto, everything just seemed new and exciting now that she has someone with her to enjoy and share it with.

As the clouds in the sky started to turn orange, they began to feel the fatigue of a long day. Seeing as many things as they could, they went from Nijo Castle, built by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu to the grounds of The Katsura Imperial Villa, which was dedicated to the deceased military general who served under the last emperor of Japan. Keitaro saw that Motoko was beginning to feel as exhausted as he was.

"Are you hungry, Motoko? I have a good place in mind and from what I hear, the food is great." Motoko simply nodded her head and said, "Sure, that sounds great." Earlier, the two grabbed a quick bite to eat at a boxed lunch stand around mid-day. Now, a good meal would be in perfect order. Keitaro took her to a very nice restaurant in the heart of Kyoto that specialized in traditional Japanese food. Knowing her appreciation for that type of food greatly helped his decision in picking the restaurant.

Not only was the service great, but the food was fantastic. After the meal was finished, they remained at the table talking about the day they had just spent together. Going back and forth, naming their favorite places and the things they would like the visit tomorrow.

"I think tomorrow I'd like to see the Kyoto Municipal Zoo, Keitaro. Not only do they have almost 700 animals, but their Sakura trees are absolutely beautiful this time of year."

"Sure, that sounds great, Motoko. Then, after that I want to go to the Museum of Kyoto. I hear they have a really good gallery including fine arts and crafts and a movie gallery."

"Alright. Then, maybe we can see the Rakusai Bamboo Garden. They have over 110 different bamboo planted. In the mid-day sun, it looks absolutely incredible."

After they left the Restaurant, they made a stop at the Nishi Food Market to pick up some food supplies for the hotel room. Seeing as room service was so expensive, they didn't want to waste their money. Luckily the room came with a fridge to store supplies. The day had been long and full of fun experiences. Feeling the fatigue from their long day they both decided to turn in early for the night. Out of respect for Motoko, Keitaro asked for two futons for the hotel room. As Motoko eased into sleep, Keitaro lay awake on his futon, staring up at the ceiling. Nervous thoughts running through his brain as he peered into the dark void of the shadows filling the room. Silouettes that reflect the shadows of doubt that lay deep in his mind.

'We've been together for a whole year, now. Right? And I'm absolutely sure that she's the one I want to be with. We care for each other very much, so it's only natural for us to take the relationship to the next level and lay the relationship in stone, right? But what if it's too soon. What if I'm jumping the gun? What if she says 'no' and decides to break it off? What will I do then? Then again, she is only seventeen. So, her being too young might be a factor as well. Maybe I shouldn't do this. Maybe I should hold on to that gift for another year. Hmmm….Oh, damn it. I'll just do it and deal with the consequences afterwards. It's better than driving myself crazy thinking about what might happen or what couldn't happen. Then it's decided. Tomorrow it is!'

Keitaro finally fell asleep, his mind a little more at ease, but not much. The dreams that came to him were strange at best. Similar to the dreams that he had on the train, but now more graphic and intense. He found himself walking down the darkened halls of an old run down prison. Dark, empty and cold. Water dripped down the brick walls onto stagnant puddles on the floor. Prison cells that seem to have been empty for decades, passed him on his right and on his left. The vile, smell of old death hung in the air, offending his nostrils, getting stronger and stronger as he walked on. He then came upon a cell at the end of the hall that was lit by a dim light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The iron bars were covered in rust and the floor in front of the cell was stained with what looked like dried blood.

Lying on the cold damp floor was something dark and human-like in shape. As Keitaro moved closer to the bars to take a closer look, the figure began to stir. It took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. Keitaro saw that it was a man, but still his features he could not make out. The man lifted his head and opened his eyes. They seemed to glow yellow, like a bright light reflecting off of gold. The eyes became fixed on Keitaro for a long moment. The man lay completely still, just staring.

Without warning, the man sprung to life and jumped onto the bars, reaching and clawing at Keitaro like a wild rabid, staving dog. This surprise caused Keitaro to jump backwards, landing on his back. The man continued to swipe and claw, making noises like a wild animal. Keitaro slowly inched away from the cell, feeling the fear form a lump in his chest. After Keitaro gained a certain distance, the man suddenly became still and calm. He sat down on the floor, staring across at Keitaro. "Set me free." The man whispered.

"Who are you?" Keitaro said, standing up.

"Set me free." The man said a little louder.

"What did you do to get in here?" Keitaro asked, cautiously stepping closer.

"Set me free." The man said in voice full of sorrow, as he stood up and placed his hands around the bars.

"Why should I?" Keitaro said, keeping a distance.

"SET ME FREE!!!" The man screamed in a voice that seemed to shake the building. The cell bars began to bend and warp in his seemingly strong grip.

"No! I won't set you free! You're obviously in here for a good reason!" Keitaro yelled as the man started to reach and claw at him again.

Keitaro then felt an eerie feeling come over him. He turned around. A spotlight turned on out of nowhere and shown down on a set of keys hanging on the wall. Keitaro found himself strangely fascinated with the keys. He walked over and picked them up off the hook. "Yeees, yeees." The man slowly hissed behind him. Keitaro was no longer able to control himself. He walked over, placed the right key in the hole. "Yes, yes!" The man said anxiously.

Keitaro turned the key and unlocked the door. The cell door flew open and the man leapt out at Keitaro. Everything suddenly faded into bright white light and Keitaro began to see images rushing through his vision. Images of the old woman, screaming in terror. He saw the quick swipe of his hand and splattering of red blood onto the white paper wall of a traditional Japanese house.

Then the image of a Kendo school. Several young students practicing highly disciplined techinques. Then he saw the vision of the Hinata Inn. It was hot, like a summer day. The faces of its residents passed by in a jumble until it stopped on a vision of Motoko looking straight at him with terror filled eyes. Keitaro saw his hand raise a sword at his side. "No," he said, trying to stop it. But he could not. He couldn't control himself. Keitaro saw his hand swing the sword and then heard Motoko's scream. "No, Motoko! NOOOO!"

Keitaro quickly sat up in his bed. His heart, beating like a jackhammer in his chest, his breaths going a mile a minute. Keitaro placed his hand on his chest, trying to calm himself down. Motoko, who was immediately awakened by his scream, rubbed the sleep from her eyes and jumped out of her futon and ran over to Keitaro. Kneeling at his side she began to shake him as he seemed in a daze. His eyes were open wide as he stared blankly ahead, still remembering the images of horror that he saw. Keitaro breathed heavily, as if almost out of breath.

"Keitaro? Keitaro?! Are you alright? Speak to me! Keitaro!"

Keitaro then snapped out of it and looked over at her and said, "Motoko?" He then threw his arms around her and rested his head against her shoulder. "Motoko, you're alright!"

"Of course I'm alright, Keitaro." She said, resting her head on his and rubbing his back gently, trying to sooth him. "You had another nightmare, didn't you?" Keitaro simply nodded, still shaking from the bad dream.

"It's okay, Keitaro. I'm here, see? I'm alright." She said, then giving his forehead a kiss. Seeing that he was clearly still shaken, a thought occurred to her, causing her to blush. She decided to go with it, knowing that he badly needed comfort.

"Keitaro…how about you sleep in my futon tonight?" she whispered.

"Okay, but are you sure?" he whispered back.

"Yes. Don't worry, I'll keep the bad dreams away, Keitaro. I promise."

The two them slipped into Motoko's futon and laid together. Keitaro was cradled in her arms as his hands rested around behind her shoulders. They quickly fell back asleep and Keitaro lay in peaceful slumber for the rest of the night. And straight through until the morning light, the dreams never returned.


	3. Decisive move

Hey, everyone! Here it is, the final chapter of 'Moving forward'. I know a lot of you have been waiting a while for this one. So here it is. I wanna thank everyone for their great reviews and support. Love Hina is owned by Ken Akamatsu, Xebec, Bandai and so forth. Enjoy!

Moving Forward

Chapter 3

A cool wind poured in through a small opening in the window. The breeze gently blew down and moved Motoko's silky raven hair over Keitaro's cheek. Motoko's eyes slowly opened to see Keitaro's sleeping face. She allowed herself a content sigh as she looked over his facial features. 'So serene' she thought. Gently, she moved in and gave him a light kiss. Keitaro's eyes slowly opened and he looked at Motoko. Smiling a tender smile, he quietly said,

"Hey, there."

"Hey, yourself." She whispered with a matching smile, while she gently stroked his hair. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept great." He replied.

"The bad dreams didn't come back?" Motoko asked as she moved the bangs back from his forehead.

"Nope, not once." He sleepily replied.

"I'm so glad." She said.

Motoko took a deep breath as she sat up and then slowly exhaled in a yawn, stretching her arms out wide. Glancing over at the clock on the table, she suddenly became aware of what time it was.

"Hey, we'd better get up, Keitaro. It's already 9am." She said, standing up.

Keitaro, still groggy, groaned "Mmnn, just a little longer. I haven't slept this well in a while."

Motoko knelt down and kissed him on the cheek. With a smile she said,

"You are too adorable for words…"

Keitaro, anticipating what was coming next, thought, 'Uh-oh.'

"…But that does not mean I'm going to let you sleep all day! Good samurai seize the new day with whole-hearted enthusiasm!" She exclaimed, standing tall and pointing to the bright world outside the window.

Still clinging to his covers, Keitaro playfully said,

"But I'm still just a novice. I haven't learned that lesson yet."

"Oh, come on, Keitaro. You've been learning from me for years. Not to mention all you've learned from Seta." She said, pulling away his covers.

"Okay. You're right, you're right." He said putting his hands up in surrender.

"Come on, I'll make us some breakfast." She said with a laugh, as she walked into the kitchen area.

Keitaro sat up, shook his head and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He stood up, found his glasses on a nearby table and looked out the window to see sunlight shining from the eastern sky. Pink sakura petals slowly fell like snowflakes from the tree outside. He then turned his attention to Motoko who was in the kitchen, preparing white rice, miso soup and soybeans. All the while, carrying a cheerful smile on her face as she sang a quiet sweet melody to herself.

As Keitaro watched her, he thought,

'Wow, I don't think I've ever seen her like this before. She seems so happy and her voice sounds so sweet. And when did she become such a good cook? Maybe she's been taking lessons from Shinobu. Come to think of it, I have seen them together more often.'

Continuing to watch her, he smiled and said to himself, "It doesn't get much better than this."

"Breakfast is ready!" Motoko said as she set the food down on the table.

"Wow, this looks great!" Keitaro said as they both sat down.

They both put their hands together and said in unison, "Itadakimasu!" Then, they picked up their chopsticks and began to eat.

"You know, its great that we found a suite with a kitchen. This sort of thing is very rare in Kyoto." Motoko said, looking around.

"Yeah. This hotel looks fairly new and there might be some Western influence in the design." He said, looking around as well.

Motoko nodded in response as she took a sip from her miso.

"Yeah, we sure were lucky." He said as he began to eat some more rice.

"Oh look, you've got some rice stuck to your cheek. Let me get it." She said, reaching over.

"Uh, sure." He said as she took the rice and ate it.

"Might as well not waste it, right?" she said.

"Yeah, you're right. Heh heh." He said.

Keitaro took a sip of the miso and said, "Wow, this is really good."

"You think so? I've been getting some tips from Shinobu." She said.

"I thought so. Now you can add culinary skills to the rest of your amazing talents." He said.

"Oh, I'm not that great. I just give it my best, that's all." She said, reaching for the soybeans.

"Even so, I can live life happy if I could come home every day to someone who cooks like this." He said.

Motoko was a little startled by his comment and only after the fact did Keitaro realize he slipped up.

"W-What? What do you mean by that?" Motoko said, forming a slight blush.

"Uh, that is, nothing. Just spouting out nonsense." He said, stumbling over his own words.

"Well…okay then." Motoko said curiously as a little bit of suspicion surfaced in her but then she decided to set it aside for now.

Breakfast was finished and the dishes were clean on the counter. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, Motoko sat down on the couch and began brushing her hair. Then Keitaro went in to the bathroom to wash up.

After a little while, the two were fully dressed and ready for another full day of touring Kyoto. As Keitaro straightened his shirt, Motoko stood in the middle of the room looking through a Kyoto travel guide. Keitaro walked up to her, slipped his arm around her waist, gave her a kiss on the cheek and looked at the book with her.

"You know, I've lived here most of my life, but I've never really paid much attention to everything around me in terms of site seeing." She said.

"Yeah, you'd be surprised what kinds of great places you'll find in your own town. So where should we go first? This place looks nice for lunch." He said, pointing to a restaurant at the bottom of the page.

"Well, before we do anything, we have to visit my grandmother. She lives right here in Kyoto. I promised her I would visit." She said, softly leaning her shoulder to his chest.

"Sure, we can do that. And after that we can probably head for Kyoto tower." He said.

"Okay and when we're done with that, it'll probably be around noon or 1pm so we can head to that restaurant you pointed out. Oh! And after that I would really like to head to Kyoto Municipal Zoo. That looks really interesting to me." She said with a hint of excitement as they both continued to look over all their options.

"Yeah, that looks good to me too. I'd also like to hit the Imura Art Museum too, if we can." He said.

"Very nice. Then we can probably finish our day off with a walk through the Botanical Gardens." She said.

"Wow, I couldn't have picked a better place for it." Keitaro said to himself.

"Huh? What did you say, hon?" Motoko asked, looking back at Keitaro.

Forming a blush, Keitaro quickly diverted the subject, "What? Uh, nothing. Oh, doesn't this place look nice too?" He pointed to a Ramen stand on one of the main streets.

"Uh, yeah. It does." She said, looking at him curiously and then at the place he pointed out.

The two of them made sure they had everything they needed. They each grabbed a bottled water for themselves from the fridge and were out the door. Motoko's Grandmother had always been a homebody and doesn't travel very much. She lives within a mile of their hotel, so the two decided to walk it. It was a beautiful, sunny day with a now warm breeze blowing in from the SouthEast. The breeze moved through Motoko's silky, jet-black hair, causing her to straighten it with her fingers now and then as they walked hand in hand.

After about twenty minutes of walking and taking in the sites that surrounded them, they arrived at the apartment building in which Motoko's Grandmother lives.

They walked up to the main door and next to it were several buttons connected to the intercom system. Next to one button was the name, 'Aoyama Megumi'. Motoko pressed the button and after a short moment an old woman's voice came over the intercom.

"Hello? Who's there?" An older woman's voice asked.

"It's me, Grandma. It's Motoko. I've brought someone with me." She said.

"Oh, Motoko. I'm so glad you're here. Sure, bring your friend with you. Both of you, come on up." Grandma said.

Immediately a buzzing noise came from the door next to them and they both walked in. After climbing the steps to the second floor, Motoko walked up and knocked on door '201'. The door opened and inside was an older lady, the same height as Keitaro with long, straight silver hair and a big smile.

"Grandma!" Motoko said, giving her Grandmother a big hug.

"Oh, it's so good to see you again, my dear Motoko." Grandma said, hugging her back.

Motoko pulled back and took Keitaro by the arm, bringing him closer.

"Grandma, I'd like to introduce my boyfriend, Keitaro Urashima." She said, holding onto his arm in a loving way.

"Hello, it's very nice to meet you." Keitaro said, taking a bow.

"My goodness, I never thought I'd see the day that little Motoko-chan would grow up and find herself such a handsome man." She said with a smile.

"Grandmaaa." Motoko whined, embarrassed.

"Oh dear me. Where are my manners? Come in, come in!" Grandma said, gesturing them to come inside.

Grandma closed the door behind them and bid them to sit down in the living room in front of the coffee table.

"I'll just make us some tea. Will green tea be alright?" Grandma asked as the two eased into the sofa together.

"Yes. Thank you." They said in unison.

A few minutes went by and then tea was served with a few cakes on the side.

"Thank you, very much" the two said as they picked up their tea.

"So, tell me Keitaro. How long have you known my Motoko-chan?" Grandma asked him, before taking a sip of her tea.

Keitaro took Motoko's hand in his and said, "Well, ma'am, I met Motoko when I first came to Hinata House a couple years ago. Of course she didn't really like me that much at first. We sort of, um, started off on the wrong foot." He said.

"It's alright, Keitaro. You don't have to be so formal. Just call me 'Grandma'." She said.

"Oh, okay. Grandma, then." He said, now able to relax a little bit more.

"So. How did you two become so close then?" Grandma asked.

Motoko formed a pleasant smile as she reminisced.

"To be perfectly honest, I utterly despised him at first, mostly because of the fact that he was a man, managing an all girls dormitory. I strongly felt that it wasn't a man's place to do so. But after a while, I saw the type of person he really was. I noticed steadily that he was kind and thoughtful. A bit of a klutz, sure. Slowly but surely, we became good friends." Motoko said, placing her hand over his.

"Yes, and then I finally told her how I really felt about her. I was so relieved to see that she felt the same way." Keitaro said, then meeting eyes with Motoko.

Grandma nodded patiently as she listened.

"That's so wonderful, dear. I'm so happy for you both." Grandma said, as the two gave a nod and a smile.

"I just wonder what your father will think, Motoko dear." Grandma said before taking another sip of her tea.

"Erk!" Motoko sounded. At the mention of her Father, her eyes widened as she suddenly froze, holding a surprised look on her face.

"You know how disapproving he can be." Grandma said.

"Ooooooooooh, yes I do." Motoko said, hanging her head with a depressed sigh.

"Uh, should I be worried, Motoko?" Keitaro asked, now a little uneasy.

"No, it's just that Father can be a little hard-headed." Motoko said.

"My son, Kenji, is Motoko's father. Kenji is the head of the Gods' Cry School in which Motoko has honed her skills and he is Master of the Shin-Kami Ryu style." Grandma said.

"Shin…Kami…Ryu?" Keitaro said with a nervous swallow.

"Both Motoko and her Father have a very strong will, you see. And those two wills tend to…conflict sometimes." Grandma said.

"Even though Father and I do have our disagreements, I know he's just looking out for me because he loves me and only wants the best for me. So don't worry about it, Keitaro." Motoko said.

"Well, if you say so, Motoko." Keitaro said, still uneasy.

Grandma set her teacup down and said, "It certainly is wonderful outside. Perfect weather for your visit here. I'm sure you've planned so much to do." Grandma said looking out her window from the sofa.

"Yes, it's so nice out, we walked the whole way." Motoko said.

Everyone finished their tea and cake as they continued a little longer with the pleasant conversation.

Grandma looked up her clock on the wall and said,

"Well, I'm sure you two have plenty to do today. It's already 10:30am. You two should best get going."

"Oh! You're right, Grandma. We should get going." Motoko said, giving Keitaro's right leg a few quick pats as she stood up.

All of them walked to the apartment door. Motoko gave her grandmother a hug. Then Grandma gave Keitaro a hug and kissed him on the cheek.

"Now, both of you take care now, don't be afraid to visit, and most important of all, take care of eachother." Grandma said, as she opened the door.

"We will, Grandma." They both said with a smile.

They waved their good-byes and the two of them were back on their journey through Kyoto.

Outside, it had gotten warmer since when they went in. It felt so pleasant, allowing the fresh spring air to blow against them. They decided to hold off on Kyoto Tower until after lunch. The Zoo was located just across town and they found their way there with no problems. It was warm enough, so most of the animals were out in the open air.

"Look, Keitaro! The tigers are over here!" Motoko called out as she ran to the railing of the large tiger pen. The pen was very spacious as was most all of the animal pens. The Zoo did very well in imitating a grassy plain of India for the tigers.

"Wow!" He said, running up next to her. "There's Bengal Tigers. Oh! And look, there's a white tiger right over there!"

"He looks so beautiful." She said, as she looked on.

The white tiger was at the far end of the pen, lying down on the grass under the shade of a tree as it contently watched the other tigers. Motoko gently folded her fingers with Keitaro's as they both took in the site of the animals as they walked about inside their pens and cages. Eventually they came to the doors of the reptile house. By his arm, Keitaro sensed Motoko tense up and then stop.

"What's wrong, Motoko?" Keitaro asked.

"This is the Reptile house. So, t-there might be t-turtles inside, right?" Motoko said nervously.

"Oh, that's right. You're afraid of turtles. I'm sorry, Motoko. I did really want to see the Komodo Dragon they have on display. It's alright, we can move on to the bird cages."

"No, no. If you really want to see the Dragon, I can bear it for a little while." Motoko said, gaining back some courage.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll be fine as long as we're not in there for long." She said.

"Okay, then here we go." He said as he opened the door for her.

Inside were glass cases to their left and to their right, containing Anacondas, Chameleons, Vipers, Tree frogs and Geckos.

"Hmm, this one looks interesting." She said, walking up to and looking at a Green Tree Python slithering up a thick branch.

"Hey, take a look at this one, Keitaro." She said, walking up to the Egyptian Cobra case.

"Yeah, he looks really cool." Keitaro said. He was about to tap on the glass when he noticed a small picture on the glass depicting a man being chased by a snake rearing its fangs. Underneath it said, 'Please don't tap on the glass'

'Well, that would have been stupid.' He thought as he lowered his hand.

"There he is, Keitaro. The Komodo Dragon is right over there." She said, leading him over to the large display case.

"Wow, he looks so cool. I had no idea they could get so big. He must be 8 feet long." Keitaro said, getting close to the glass.

"Yup, these Dragons can get up to 10 feet long and can weigh an average of about 300 lbs." She said, looking closely as well.

"Hey, you seem to know a lot about these guys." Keitaro said.

"I did a paper on them in my first year of high school. They are the largest class of lizard on earth. I guess they sort of fascinate me because they would be the closest thing nature has to a real dragon. I always loved hearing tales of dragons when I was little." She said.

"Is that so? I see. I'm glad we were able to see this then." He said as he took her hand. "Come on, let's see what else they have."

They continued to walk on, looking at the slithering and crawling reptiles. Then, Motoko's attention was turned to a "myu!" that she heard near-by. Sure enough, it was from a turtle tank. More specifically from a small turtle that was pressed up against the glass looking at her with a smile.

"Erk!" She said, as she caught sight of it.

"Uh, oh. You found the turtles." Keitaro said.

"Well, it should be okay, right? I mean they are behind glass." She said taking slow steps toward the turtle case.

"This isn't so bad, huh? I mean, you're perfectly fine with snakes and Geckos and all the other lizards. I wonder why you're so afraid of turtles then." Keitaro said, resting his arm around her shoulders.

"It's just a fear I've had since I was little. I guess it's a stupid fear." She said.

"Well, there are lots of things people can be afraid of. Not all of them make logical sense, I guess." He said, feeling her tensed muscles begin to relax.

Then, another turtle towards the back of the case noticed Motoko and let out a "MYU!". The other turtles noticed her as well and began going "Myu, myu, myu, myu" as they all moved to the front of the case and looked up at Motoko with cute smiles on their faces.

"Wow, they really seem to like you, Motoko." He said, looking at all the turtles in the cage gathering in front of Motoko.

"Yeah, well, they can just stay right where they are. Heh heh." She said, becoming nervous again.

"Come on, there's more to see." Keitaro said.

"Sure."

All the turtles let out a sad "myu" as she walked away.

Next, they went to the birdcages. There, they saw all kinds, ranging from Peacocks and Cranes to Egyptian Condors and North American Hawks. The many songs of the countless birds seemed to merge into one big symphony that seemed pleasing to the ears.

"Hey, Motoko. Doesn't that one look a lot like the bird your sister Tsuruko always has with her." Keitaro said, pointing at the red, cranelike bird with long feathers sitting on a branch.

"Yeah, it does look almost exactly like him. Only Shippu has a brighter color and his tail feathers are a bit longer.

"Yeah. They're beautiful birds. They almost remind me of what a phoenix might look like." Keitaro said.

The two moved on, going from the Giraffes to the Rhinos and Zebras and finally to the Lions. All the while they were also enjoying the many Sakura trees that were in bloom throughout the Zoo. After experiencing all that the Kyoto Municipal Zoo had to offer, the two had grown hungry. So they left the Zoo and went on to have lunch.

For lunch, they had decided on The Kinmata Restaurant, located in the Nakagyo-ku neighborhood. It was a very wonderful experience. The restaurant staff was very warm and friendly and the owner even welcomed them personally. It being an inn as well, they were able to dine in a room that opened up to the small central courtyard, which had a stone garden and a few trees, that reached into the open air. The murals on the sliding doors depicted nightingales perched on bamboo branches. The rose colored wood table they ate at, shined with a mirror like reflection. There were also vases with beautiful Japanese flower arrangements of lavender, violet and ice blue. All of this created a serene and tranquil eating experience.

The food presentation was exquisite. Even the dishes themselves were beautiful. The meal consisted of Deep-fried layered Shiitake mushrooms and scallops, Marinated and grilled Swordfish, and for dessert was Sticky rice cakes wrapped in sweet Azuki bean paste that were decorated with Camellia leaves and accompanied by Green tea. They both agreed it was the best food they had ever tasted.

After they had finished their meals, the owner was more than happy to give them a tour of the inn, explaining it's history and it's dedication to quality dining. After looking around for a little longer, the two decided to be on their way. The owner and the staff gave them their warm good-byes and said to please come back again soon.

On to Kyoto Tower, a 131 meter-high observatory tower, located opposite of the Kyoto Station building. As it was now the warm months, the all you can eat and drink bar at the tower's base was open, but Motoko and Keitaro didn't take advantage of it, seeing as they had just eaten. The view from the tower was very nice. All of Kyoto was visible as well as the surrounding horizon, which was mostly colored pink with Sakura blossoms. They admired the view for a long time, just looking all around them. After a while they decided to move on to the next thing on their list.

The Kyoto City Rakusai Bamboo Garden was very large and very beautiful. For the walk through, they took their time, taking in the experience. The yellow beams of sunlight peaked through and shined down on the path they walked and then went away again with the movements of the trees. There was a gentle hiss as all the bamboo leaves danced against one another as the warm breeze moved through. The low creaking sound of the trees themselves as they swayed back and forth was peaceful. The walk took them about 20 minutes.

It was 4:45pm. Even though they had seen much so far, they still had plenty of energy. So they kept going, stopping at this shrine and that castle. The two were disappointed to find they could not finish their day with the Botanical gardens, seeing as it closed at 4pm.

They sat and rested for a while on a wooden bench, now feeling the fatigue of their long day. Sunset was a little way off, but getting close nonetheless. Keitaro was racking his brain. He really had his heart set on executing his plan at the gardens. Now he's forced to go to 'Plan B'. Only problem is…He didn't have a 'Plan B'.

'What do I do now?' he thought as he looked over at Motoko. She had a content smile as she rested her hand over Keitaro's. Her eyes followed all the activity going around them. Then, like a foul ball heading toward the stands at a baseball game, it hit him.

"I know the perfect place to go!" Keitaro said, standing up quickly.

"Okay, where to?" She said, standing up as well.

"It's a surprise." He said with a bright smile as he led her down the road.

"A surprise?" she said, wondering what kind of scheme he was concocting.

Keitaro brought her right to the train station. They hopped a train on the Miyazu line and they found some comfortable seats. The train ride was long. All the while, Motoko was curious as to what exactly he had in mind.

'Where is he taking me? Where in Miyazu could he possibly want to go?' she thought as she sat quietly.

Finally the train had arrived at its destination. As soon as the doors opened, Keitaro took Motoko's hand and they ran out of the train station.

"Keitaro, where are you taking me!" She yelled as she did her best to keep up with him.

"Hurry, we might just make it!" He said, leading her down a short street.

Keitaro lead her through a large gate, which said, 'Wakasa Bay National Park'. The sun was just beginning to set. They ran though the park and climbed to the top of a tall hill.

"Phew! We made it." Keitaro said, as they both stopped to catch their breath.

The top of the hill gave a breathtaking view of the sandbar of Miyazu Bay as well as several forest-covered mountains beyond it. The setting sun cast soft reds and yellows across the land. They both fell silent in awe as they watched the incredible view.

"Wow, this is really beautiful, Keitaro." She said, breaking the silence.

"Motoko?" Keitaro turned to Motoko and gently took her hand in his.

"Yes, Keitaro?" she said, taken back by the sudden serious look in his eyes.

"There's…a reason I brought you up here." He paused, took a deep breath and exhaled. He took out a small velvet-covered box from his pocket. He then bent down on one knee before her.

"Keitaro…?"

He opened the box to reveal a white-gold diamond ring. Her heart dropped.

"Motoko Aoyama, I am completely and totally in love with you. So much so, that I cannot possibly imagine living my life without you."

Motoko raised both hands to her face, covering her mouth and nose, as her eyes grew wide. A gasp was heard behind her hands.

"Motoko, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?" He said, his heart now running a mile a minute.

Motoko's hands slowly fell from her face. She was speechless. As she stared at Keitaro with a look of shock, tears began to form in her eyes.

"Uh! Motoko? Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?" He said, quickly standing up.

Motoko closed her eyes, shedding several tears down her cheeks, as she slowly shook her head 'no'. She then looked at Keitaro with a beaming smile and threw her arms around him.

"Oh, Keitaro! Of course I will! I love you so much!"

Keitaro held her close as he felt such great relief in his heart.

'She said 'Yes'. Oh, thank God she said 'Yes'!' He thought with a great smile.

"I'm so glad, Motoko. So glad." He said, his voice choking with tears of joy.

They embraced with all the love in their hearts. The sun seemed to smile as he began to hide himself behind the thick tree line of the horizon, giving them their privacy in this special moment. A warm wind blew over the waters of the bay and up against them, moving Motoko's long black hair around Keitaro, like angel wings embracing him. They moved back from their embrace slowly. Then their lips met and all the sweet passion within their souls flowed into that one kiss.

"I love you, Keitaro. Always and forever."

"Even after the end of eternity, I'll still keep loving you, Motoko."


End file.
